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Tunnel initiative blocked from ballot and other Seattle transportation news

A judge has ruled that anti- tunnel Initiative 101 is not eligible to go before Seattle voters this fall. The initiative sought to keep city property from being used for construction of a deep-bore tunnel replacement for the Alaskan Way Viaduct. The judge ruled it went beyond the powers of the initiative process, since it touches on an area specifically delegated to the City Council and mayor. City Attorney Pete Holmes sued to keep the initiative from making the ballot. Voters, however, still will get a say on Referendum 1, which seeks to overturn part of an agreement between the city and state over how the notice is given on when final tunnel construction can begin.

On top of the $20 car tab fee proposed by King County to save Metro Transit, Seattle could ask voters to approve an additional $80 vehicle licensing fee to raise about $25 million annually for street maintenance.

Sightline charts WSDOT’s traffic projections on State Route 520 over the years and shows the state has overestimated a lot. Mayor Mike McGinn says “designing for thousands of cars per day that may not show up has resulted in a project with six lanes and a bigger footprint. A bigger footprint could cost us more money, more loss of wetland habitat, and cause bigger impacts to Seattle’s neighborhoods.”

Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate.